Tag Archives: save money

Top tips to make kid’s bath time FUN without breaking the bank

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As research from Megaflo, the hot water expert has shown, more than 93% of parents believe that bath-time is one of the most important parts of a child’s day to help them relax, learn and have fun.  With the cold weather now upon us, bath time will be more important than ever.  We all remember there being nothing better than splashing about in the bath tub when we were little; so from bubbles to shampoo mohawks and bath crayons – here are a few top tips to bring the old favourites back and make your child’s bath time as fun and memorable as yours, without breaking the bank.

 

1.         Sail away!

Bath time just isn’t the same without a boat to play with.  Keep all of your clean, empty cartons and bottles as these make great play time accomplices for all of those budding pirates!  You can even create some pre-bath fun, by using use crayons and felt pens to help them make their dream vessel a masterpiece!  Remember – no holes… otherwise the boat will become a submarine! (Follow these instructions to make your creation. http://www.ehow.com/how_8161908_make-boats-out-plastic-bottles.html)

 

2.         Paint by bubbles!

A new era of children’s toys is upon us with bath crayons and bath paint pallets galore!  For the same effect and to save a few pounds, why not get a plastic egg carton and mix some shaving foam with food colouring… you have your very own clean-easy bath colour palette fit for any little artist.  Just be on hand to check that inquisitive little fingers don’t decide to try to swallow their creations..!

 

3.         Bath time Punk-Rockers!

One of the best ways to avoid the hair-washing tears is to get your little ones to design their own shampoo mohawk.  Create different soapy styles and faces – no doubt you’ll be creating one for yourself too!  Everyone’s a winner.  Remember to try and find a mild but soapy shampoo, for extra volume but minimal tears…

 

4.         Deep sea aquarium!

All children love aquariums and creatures of the deep sea.  Why not create your own right at home in your bath tub?  It will also make some good pre-bath entertainment.  Simply draw and decorate your fish, mermaids, crabs and other sea-side goodies, laminate them with sticky-back plastic and throw them in.  The kids will have hours of fun searching for them in amongst all the bubbles.  Why not create some treasure to go with your pirate ship as well?

 

5.         Trusty Rubber Duck never fails!

We all remember using a lovely rubber duck to play with in the tub and with the latest trend for bright and colourful Hippie, Pirate, Union Jack, Princess and Alien ducks, there is sure to be one to please every child!  What’s more – these ducks last a lifetime and look great as an ornament in your bathroom.  Why not build up a family of ducks and let their imaginations run wild!

 

Megaflo has teamed up with Pump Aid, the charity dedicated to providing clean water and good sanitation to sub-Saharan Africa, to support a phenomenal Malawi Schools project.  The £62k project, co-funded by Megaflo, will provide pupils and staff across 21 schools in the Mchinji District, Central Region of Malawi, with access to clean water and basic sanitation through the installation of 80 toilets and 10 pumps.

 

For more information, please visit www.megaflo.com.

Promotional Gifts: Giving Your Business Great Rewards

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We’ve all received one at some point; that free branded pen, the pad of paper that you jot down all of you meeting notes onto and not to forget, that free mug you make your first coffee of the day in.

But have you ever stopped to think about the purpose behind that free promotional gift you’ve been given?

For businesses, promotional giveaways are an important part of the promotional mix, acting as extremely effective marketing tools.

Extremely versatile, they can be given to all types of customers, from clients and media contacts, to even a company’s own employees.

From items such as pens, calculators, calendars, mouse mats and pencils, these promotional mechanisms aim to create a lasting positive image of the brand or company for the recipient, in return, create lasting financial rewards for the business.

Still not entirely convinced? Well, here are 5 reasons why promotional gifts can help to boost your business.

1. Increase Brand Awareness

Promotional gifts can help to significantly increase brand awareness, if of course, you get them right.

For this reason, it’s vital that promotional items are of high quality, durable and useful, in order to keep the brand message at the forefront of your customers minds. After all, the more someone sees a brand message, the more it sticks in their mind, therefore the more likely they’ll continue to investing time (and money!) into it.

The most successful promotional gifts support your company where other mediums can’t reach, such as the office. Think stationary, or choose items available from Ideas By Net that are commonly seen throughout the workplace, such as mugs, coasters and USB flash-drives. This will ensure your message remains a prominent feature of your customer’s desk for months, if not years.

However, get it wrong and your gift could backfire, leaving a lasting image for all the wrong reasons. Think carefully about how your chosen item portrays your business. Stay away from the more ‘tacky’ items when wanting to impress an important client.

2. Increase Sales and Influence Purchases

Add increased brand awareness together with a bit of gifted goodwill and naturally, you’re bound to start seeing an overall increase in your sales and profits.

Promotional giveaways are a powerful form of ‘added value’. Generally, customers who feel that a company is giving more value for money are more likely to spend more.

They also hold the ability to generate future leads and curiosity. For new customers, promotional gifts act as incentives in wanting to find out more about a company they’ve seen a lot of, and help to direct people to a website who are keen to discover what available products a company has to offer.

For existing customers, it is common for people to become more receptive to a company that offers a gift as a small ‘thank you’ for their custom. Tactics such as these help to encourage repeat business and help to see an overall improvement in long-term sales.

3. Save Money

Believe it or not, investing a little time and money into promotional gifting can in fact help your business to save money. Why? Because they help to promote your company at a much lower cost than traditional advertising techniques.

As the British Promotional Merchandise Association has found, ‘promotional merchandise can deliver a higher return on investment. The cost per impression for a mug is £0.001, a mid-range pen £0.001, a calendar £0.004, a USB stick £0.005 and an umbrella £0.003. With an average cost per impression of £0.003, these figures compare extremely favourably with the cost per impression of other media.’

4. Improve Image and Perception

Promotional gifts also act as a powerful driving force in influencing perceptions. In every day-to-day life, all over the world, presenting someone with a gift or present is seen as an act of goodwill, kindness and generosity. By also adopting this into your business strategy, you too can make your customers feel valued, creating positive perceptions of your company.

5. Improve Company Morale

Promotional gifts have also been proven to enhance the morale of a company’s employees, thus helping to increase employee productivity.

By providing gifts on events such a company’s anniversary or by giving them as symbols of appreciation, employees will instantly feel like they are a key part of the organisation.

When a company strives to take that extra step to include employees in the marketing plan, it benefits the company in the long term by ensuring positive perceptions of the company start from within.

This article was written by Ella Mason, an experienced freelance writer. Ella specialises in writing about money-making schemes, for both businesses and individuals. 

 

 

Pay Less For Your Prescriptions.

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Check if you qualify for free prescriptions

People in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland all have free prescriptions. People who live in England are not so lucky. However, if you are on some benefits, are pregnant or have had a baby in the last 12 months then you will be entitled to free prescriptions. Check with your pharmacist.

Use An Alternative

Check that the medicine you have the prescription for is not available over the counter. It could be cheaper to buy it without the prescription. A lot of commonly prescribed medicine is available over the counter.

Prepay.

You can get something called a prescriptions prepayment certificate. It covers all of your NHS prescriptions for a certain period.

For example, if you need four prescriptions in a three month period, you would be better off buying a three-month certificate which costs £29.10. You can get these from the NHS Prescription Pricing Authority website nhsbsa.nhs.uk/1127.aspx or call 0845 850 0030

Ask Your Doctor To Buy in Bulk

You can ask your doctor for a single prescription to cover a certain amount of time. It is not well known but this means that a 1-3 month prescription would only cost £7.65. Instead of buying four different prescriptions over that time, which would cost £30.60. Talk to your doctor about prescription charges and how you can save money.

Other ways to save on medical bills it to take out temporary medical insurance. Your health is the most important thing in life so invest in it as much as you can.

Popularity of cashback sites grows as more people shop online

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With the UK back into a double dip recession, many savvy families are looking for ways to boost their household incomes and Cashback sites are on the forefront of the online bargain hunt. They can possibly saving families anything up to £1000 a year. These sites pay members when they buy goods ranging from the supermarket shop to energy and even holidays, through their website.

Online shopping has been growing in popularity, this is shown by the fact that online spending in the first three months of 2012 grew by 13 per cent to £17billion[i]. One of the main reasons that online shopping grew so rapidly is because it can save consumers a vast amount of money. As well as vouchers and discounts codes which can be found online, consumers are frequently signing up to cashback sites. Cashback sites are becoming very attractive for online shoppers, with TopCashBack the most generous cashback site in the UK doubling the amount of members in the last 12 months alone. The site now receives approximately 4.5 million unique visitors per month.

Natasha-Rachel Smith, consumer affairs expert from TopCashBack, said, “The growth of cashback culture is a new phenomenon in the UK – it’s a great way for people to earn money from their spending. As online shopping is becoming an integral part of people’s shopping patterns, cashback sites are inevitably becoming the first port of call for people who want to save money.”

Natasha-Rachel concluded, “Cashback sites are a safe way to get more out of your spending. For people who frequently shop online it makes sense to shop through cashback sites as there are thousands of big name retailers and some niche shops, so there is always something for everyone. Sometimes people can get big cashback sums when switching their utilities or broadband through these sites so it’s recommended that people do their research.”

Organic Children’s Clothes at Less Than Half Price. {Save it}

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STUNNING SCANDINAVIAN CLOTHING BY SERENDIPITY ORGANICS NOW UP TO 65% OFF TO CASABU MEMBERS

Kit your children out this Summer with some beautiful clothes from Serendipity Organics.

Designed in Scandinavia, the clothing range is made from certified 100% organic and fair-trade cotton, and it is now available at up to 65% off its original price to members of Casabu.

Choose from jumpsuits, baggy dresses and over-sized tees for a stylish yet understated look. Key pieces in the sale include: a Baby Mini Suit in Blueflower for £16.65 (original price £37), a Blue Flower Border Blouse for £15.40 (original price £44) and a lovely Strap Dress in Seastar for just £17.50 (original price £50).

The Serendipity Organics clothing sale is on now and, for babies clothing, will run until May 30 while the clothing sale for girls and boys expires on June 1.

Anyone can join the private sales website www.casabu for free. Once signed up, members can access the daily sales events via their computer, laptop, tablet, Smartphone or via Twitter @casabu_tweets and there are incentives for referring Casabu to friends.

Casabu releases new deals on stylish clothing, toys, nursery equipment and maternity gear at discounts of up to 70% off original prices daily at 8am.

75% of Brits don’t check car’s engine oil

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· Three-quarters of UK motorists don’t know how to check their car’s oil – a vital element in basic vehicle maintenance

· Half of drivers don’t even know why oil is used; majority unaware of damage caused by lack of lubrication

· Improved fuel economy and reduced engine wear proven from using quality synthetic motor oil

· Save Fuel With Mobil 1 offer sees Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5W-30 five-litre packs offered at selected Esso service stations with £10 discount

A staggering three out of four Brits don’t know how to check the oil in their car, according to new research from Mobil 1. More worryingly still, almost half of the drivers questioned were oblivious as to why oil is even used in their vehicle’s engines.

The research also found 94% of motorists were unaware that using the correct oil can significantly prolong the life of their engine, as well as potentially improve fuel economy. All of which means that at a time when British car owners are feeling the pinch like never before, they could be driving blindly towards expensive engine problems in the future.

Mobil 1 commissioned the survey in order to gain insight into motorists’ habits, specifically in the areas of engine maintenance and servicing. The study discovered that although as a nation Britons are typically on the lookout for ways to save money, they are significantly less savvy when it comes to understanding how to cut their motoring costs.

“It’s clear from this research that drivers are largely unaware of the benefits of using synthetic motor oil – and in some cases people don’t even have a basic understanding of the fundamental role played by engine lubrication,” said Dan McGoldrick, Field Marketing Advisor UK, Nordic and Benelux for ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialities, makers of Mobil 1. “Using the right oil for your engine can potentially improve fuel economy, reduce engine wear and save lots of expense in the long run. Our aim is to help make drivers aware that checking oil is essential for keeping cars running smoothly and efficiently.”

Expertly developed to help prolong engine life and optimise efficiency, Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5W-30 is designed to help provide exceptional cleaning power, wear protection and overall performance. The oil has the potential to improve fuel economy and save you money.

Mobil 1 is currently helping consumers to stay on top of engine maintenance by offering a Save Fuel With Mobil 1 £10-off price when purchasing five-litre packs of Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5W-30 in selected Esso service stations. By taking advantage of this offer, drivers can save at the point of purchase, and further down the line thanks to potential enhanced fuel economy. The offer price means packs can be purchased for £44.99 (down from £54.99). Further details on how to Save Fuel With Mobil 1 can be found on www.mobil1.co.uk where Mobil’s online product selector, ‘Which oil’, makes it easy for consumers to identify the correct engine oil to optimise their vehicle performance by simply inserting the registration number of their car.

Brits Neglecting Health Due to Lack of Money.

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It seems the economical climate is really start to bite as Brits are cutting back on medical care.

New research by Sovereign Health Care has revealed that 63% of UK residents have delayed vital health care treatments to save money over the past 12 months, with women being the worst offenders (34%). Meanwhile more men (54%) than women (42%) said they will have to put back health related appointments this year in order to make their household budget stretch further.

The survey revealed that the economic climate has resulted in a growing number of people neglecting their health in order to try and save money. What’s perhaps even more worrying is that the vast majority of respondents (88%) say they would cancel or delay a health care appointment (such as dentist or opticians), rather than cut back on socialising and entertaining to make their money stretch further.

Although only 20% of those polled said they had been more ill over the last year, compared with previous years, 43% said they have been living with health care conditions such as a bad back, bunions and eye sight problems, as they can’t afford to get treatment – men are the worst culprits (22%). With these findings, it comes as no surprise to learn that 43% of women and 37% of men say it’s quite possible that they have forfeited their health over the past 12 months.

The survey findings also revealed that many people view certain complementary therapies as luxuries rather than necessities, including reflexology (91%), chiropody (73%) and physiotherapy (54%).

Russ Piper, Chief Executive of Sovereign Health Care says: “Delaying health care treatment is tempting when budgets are so tight, but neglecting your health is potentially more expensive and dangerous in the long run as you can increase both the severity of the problems you face and the cost of the treatment you need.”

He adds: “Treatments such as chiropody and physiotherapy can be costly, which is probably why people think of them as a luxury. However, they are beneficial for many people with health problems or injuries and they can be affordable with a health care cash plan as you can often claim back some of the costs.”

It’s not only physical health that is suffering due to the recession, but mental well-being is also being affected, with 81% of people saying they have grown increasingly more anxious about managing their household budget over the last 12 months – women were revealed as the most worried at 52%.

Bring Down The Cost of Motoring

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Saving money on fuel is a priority according to research by Mobil 1

  • Cash strapped Brits look to save money on motoring but actually lose out where it matters most: in the engine
  • Research marks launch of Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30, a fully synthetic car engine oil approved for use by BMW and Mercedes-Benz
  • Drivers understand engine oil helps their vehicle but do not know it can help them save money on driving costs
  • New Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30 is designed specifically with potential fuel savings and efficiency in mind

 

LONDON,  2012 – Checking oil ranked highest in the activities we’re willing to do on our own, over and above a number of everyday activities. New research commissioned by Mobil 1 has found that more Brits are confident checking the oil in their car than making beans on toast.

 

This research comes as Mobil 1 launch its latest synthetic car engine oil, Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30, with BMW and Mercedes-Benz approval. The research also shows that Brits are increasingly looking to cut motoring costs as the economic climate gets tougher, with over a fifth of drivers cutting their mileage by as much as 2,500 miles each in 2011.

 

However, it also seems that drivers are missing out on other easy cost-cutting measures, unaware that basic actions such as keeping engine oil topped up can reduce overall motoring costs, as only 6% of respondents recognised that using the correct engine oil prolongs the life of an engine.

 

“It is great to see that as a nation we are confident with checking car oil and we are surprised to see it beat so many everyday activities in terms of consumer confidence” said Dan McGoldrick, Field Marketing Advisor UK, Nordic and Benelux for ExxonMobil Lubricants & Specialities, makers of Mobil 1. “Checking oil, especially in winter months, is essential to keep cars running smoothly, avoiding wear-and-tear and making sure your car runs as efficiently as possible – potentially saving you money on fuel and ensuring your motor is as confident on the road as you are in looking after it.”

Developed using the latest synthetic lubricant technology, Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30 has the potential to improve fuel economy whilst optimising engine protection. Expertly engineered to help prolong the life and maintain the efficiency of emission systems in both diesel and petrol powered vehicles, it has gained approval from Mercedes-Benz1 and BMW2 for a range of models.

 

 

Mobil 1 top tips for saving money and keeping your motor in peak condition:

 

  • Choose the right oil for your car.
    • Using the correct engine oil can potentially improve fuel efficiency, provide valuable engine protection, and reduce wear and tear.
    • Mobil 1’s online “Which Oil” product selector – found at www.mobil.co.uk – helps drivers find the correct engine oil to optimise their vehicle’s performance.
    • Simply insert the vehicle registration number and ‘Which Oil’ identifies the most appropriate engine oil.

 

  • Talk to your service representative about the “health” of your engine and the motor oil they use during maintenance checks.
    • Service representatives are your vehicle’s “doctor”, so don’t be afraid to ask questions about the benefits of different oils and how to keep an engine running smoothly.

 

  • Keep a 1 litre container of engine oil in the boot
    • Maintaining the proper level of engine oil and lubricant is essential to the protection and efficiency of a vehicle.
    • A one litre container of oil is a cost effective way of maintaining an engine between regular maintenance checks.